Teenage Engineering, the company behind the iconic OP-1 synthesizer, may be leaving the instrument business. In an interview with Highsnobiety, founder and CEO Jesper Kouthoofd said he told his team during a reorganization last fall that he plans to stop making synthesizers altogether, and that the OP-1 is not exempt. The device, launched in 2011, helped put the company on the map and has remained central to its success.
Kouthoofd framed the move as a strategic shift rather than a retreat. "For us, the products aren't the business," he said. "We can be so much more than that." Teenage Engineering has built a reputation as a sought-after design firm through collaborations with Ikea, Nothing, and Playdate, even though most of its own hardware has been music- or audio-focused.
The Verge notes the apparent contradiction: nearly everything Teenage Engineering makes itself is music or audio gear. The company did not immediately respond to The Verge's request for comment, so it remains unclear whether the plan is final or how it would affect existing products.